Falcon Fodder

BiG look at women's loss to Temple

The BG women's basketball team returned home Wednesday after a four-game road trip and suffered a 70-56 loss to Temple at the Stroh Center Wednesday, Nov. 28. The Falcons were inconsistent on offense, and that was a problem when facing a team that shot very well most of the night. Here is a closer look at the loss. ...

BiG TWITTER POST: Falcons shoot just 38.6% from field while Temple is red-hot 53.7% (61.5% 2nd half) in Owls’ 70-56 win over BG Wednesday at Stroh

BiG GAME STORY: The two teams were fairly even through most of the first half, with Bowling Green leading by as many as five points (16-11, 12:41). There were seven ties in the half, but Temple broke a 23-23 tie by scoring the last six points of the first half to lead 29-23 at the break. BG’s Chrissy Steffen scored nine points (on a pair of 3’s and an old-fashioned three-point play) in the first three minutes to cut the deficit to 35-34 with 16:52 on the clock, but a 17-3 run by the Owls over the next nine minutes helped Temple pull away. BG did not score for almost seven minutes in the middle of the half and trailed by as many as 17 late.

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons were led by senior Chrissy Steffen and junior Alexis Rogers as each had 13 points. Steffen also had a team-high five rebounds and added a pair of steals. Junior Jillian Halfhill had eight points, six of which came in the first half, while newcomers Bailey Cairnduff and Katrina Salinas each had five points in just five minutes of action.

BiG PLAY: The Temple offense used an efficient stretch of play in the second half to turn a tight contest into a comfortable win. BG’s Chrissy Steffen made a pair of free throws to make the score 35-34 Owls with 16:52 left in the second half, but Temple promptly scored on its next five possessions to make the score 45-37 with 13:52 on the clock. After a Temple turnover, the Owls hit back-to-back 3’s and suddenly the score was 51-37. From that point BG never was able to get closer than 12 points.

BiG PLAYER OF THE GAME: Senior Chrissy Steffen tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 points, making 5-of-13 shots from the field and 2-of-6 3-pointers. She also tied for the team lead with five rebounds and added two steals and a blocked shot. Steffen scored nine of her points in the first three minutes of the second half to cut Temple’s lead to one point with 16:52 to play.

BiG NUMBERS: Not only did Bowling Green not shoot very well in this loss, the team went through stretches in both halves where it shot extremely poorly. That was most noticeable in the first half, when the Falcons made 8-of-12 shots (66.7 percent) in the first eight minutes but finished with a 10-for-27 shooting half (if you’ve done the math, you realize BG finished 2-for-15, or 13.3 percent). In the second half the Falcons made four of their first five shots, then went 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) in that eight-minute mid-half drought before making 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) in the final eight minutes. The hot spurts are nice, but the offense needs to be more productive, even during its “lulls,” for this team to be successful.

BiG NOTE: I thought the Falcons did some good things that were overshadowed by their shooting struggles – and Temple’s hot shooting as well. One good thing was the lack of turnovers despite the physical nature of the game, as BG gave the ball up just 11 times while the Owls turned it over 14 times. Kudos to Jillian Halfhill for making just one turnover in 35 minutes. … The rebounding numbers didn’t favor BG against the taller Owls, as Temple had a 38-28 advantage on the boards. What was particularly disturbing was the Owls’ 11 offensive boards, which resulted in 13 second-chance points. Temple was shooting well enough without getting extra opportunities to score.

BiG THOUGHT: I am sure some fans were disappointed in the loss, but I think some perspective is important. Temple is a strong program that has won 20 games or more for nine straight seasons, and from what I saw Wednesday there is no doubt the Owls are capable of extending that streak this year. So this is far from a bad loss. … Also, I asked coach Jennifer Roos if her team’s struggles on offense or defense bothered her more, and she, of course, choose C: All of the above. Gotta love coaches, right? I understand her point, but if I had to pick one, BG’s offensive struggles bothered me more. I thought Temple made a lot of contested shots; as a general rule, they weren’t “easy” shots. Some nights the other team just makes tough shots, and all you can do is tip your hat. And keep making sure the shots are hard to make when the next team comes to town.

BiG QUESTION: Can the Falcons get their offense untracked? Believe it or not, Wednesday’s effort wasn’t the worst offensive performance by BG in this young season, as the Falcons shot 27.5 percent in the loss at Purdue and 24.1 percent in losing to Villanova. Bowling Green’s 38.6 percent field-goal shooting was close to its marks in its wins over Niagara (39.3 percent) and UNLV (39.0 percent). But better shooting, and a more “attacking” style that will result in more free throws (just nine attempts against Temple) could help jump-start the offense Saturday at home against Colorado State.

MORE INFO: Click here to read the game story from the contest. Click here to view the photo gallery from the contest.

BiG look at men's victory over Detroit

The BG men's basketball team returned home after a four-game road trip and claimed a 70-65 victory over Detroit on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the Stroh Center. The Falcons first win of the season against a Division I opponent came against a team expected to be one of the best in the Horizon League. Here is a closer look at the victory. ...

BiG DISCLAIMER: First, I want to apologize for not doing a very good job of providing insight on the men early this season. I have plenty of excuses ... but none of them are particularly good. So, to try and make up for this a little bit, I'm going to add a few comments from the two NIT Season Tip Off games I saw at Michigan's Crisler Center.

BiG LOOK AT CLEVELAND STATE GAME: This was a disappointing performance, because it was a very winnable game. It just seemed as if every good thing the Falcons did was trumped by something bad. A'uston Calhoun had 30 points, but no one else scored more than 10. BG shot 56 percent in the second half, but they shot 18.8 percent on 3's in the game. BG also had 16 turnovers, and even though the Falcons held CSU to 38.6 percent shooting, they allowed the Vikings to grab 17 offensive rebounds. BG led by as many as 11 early but the game was tied by halftime. Late in the game BG had the ball with the score tied, but never managed to get a shot, much less score.

BiG LOOK AT IUPUI GAME: This was an awful performance. The only bright spot was that BG held an early 11-point lead, but by halftime that margin was cut to one point at the break. The wheels came completely off in the second half as IUPUI shot 71.4 percent from the field in that period, outrebounded BG 38-27, and held the Falcons to just 40.9 percent shooting for the game. Jordon Crawford had 24 points and A'uston Calhoun had 19, but there were a lot more questions than answers after this contest.

BiG TWITTER POST: Crawford scores 26, Falcons commit 1 2nd-half turnover, made 12-13 FTs late to claim 70-65 win over Detroit at Stroh Center Tuesday

BiG GAME STORY: The Falcons dominated play early and eventually used a 14-5 run to built a 33-19 lead with four minutes left in the first half. But Detroit switched to a zone in the last five minutes and flustered the Falcons, allowing the Titans to go on an 11-1 run to finish the half and make the score 34-30 BG at the break. A pair of early 3's gave BG a 40-32 lead, but by the 13:55 mark of the second half Detroit had taken a 40-41 lead. The score was tied at 47-47 with 9:48 left before a 3-pointer by Jehvon Clarke gave the Falcons the lead for good as BG withstood a couple of late rushes to hold on to the victory. In the final 4:25 of the contest, with Bowling Green leading by two points, the Falcons made 9-of-10 free throws while forcing Detroit to miss six straight shots before the Titans got a basket with just 16 seconds left in the game.

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons were led in scoring by Jordon Crawford, who finished with a career-high 26 points and also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal. The next-highest scorer for BG was A'uston Calhoun, who had nine points and added five rebounds. Jehvon Clarke came off the bench to score seven points (all in the second half) and added a team-best three assists, while Chauncey Orr nearly had a double-double with eight points and seven rebounds. Cameron Black scored four points and had three rebounds while leading the team in blocked shots (three) and, believe it or not, steals (three).

BiG PLAY: Detroit had used a big finish to the first half to cut BG's lead to four points at the break, and by the 13:55 mark of the second half the Titans had scored to lead 41-40. But on BG's next possession, the Falcons’ Jordon Crawford hit a 3-pointer and was fouled, then made the free throw with 13:30 to push BG back on top 44-41. While Detroit may have tied the game later, they never were able to retake the lead and never had another run similar to those two that got them back into the game. Honorable mention goes to another 3-pointer by Crawford, this one coming at the 9:31 mark of the second half to break a 47-47 tie and give the Falcons the lead for good.

BiG PLAYER OF THE GAME: Senior Jordon Crawford led the Falcons with 26 points, a career high, and had a well-rounded game with three rebounds, two assists and a steal with only one turnover in 34 minutes. Crawford was 9-for-16 from the field (56.3 percent) and 5-for-10 on 3-pointers while making all three of his free-throw attempts. Crawford was especially important to the offense in the second half, scoring 14 points and adding two assists while not committing a single turnover.

BiG NUMBERS: The Falcons 3-point shooting has improved in recent games. After making just four (in 18 tries) against Lake Erie and just three (in 16 attempts) against Cleveland State, BG made seven, eight and seven in its three games prior to the Detroit contest. Against the Titans, Bowling Green was 9-for-22 (40.9 percent). And while Jordon Crawford had five of those nine 3-pointers, four other Falcons had one: Luke Kraus, Anthony Henderson, Jehvon Clarke and James Erger.

BiG NOTE: The Falcons committed nine turnovers in the first half, and those miscues led to eight Detroit points that got the Titans back into the contest. But in the second half BG cleaned up its act and turned the ball over only once. And that lone turnover came on a change called against A'uston Calhoun with 2:01 left in the game. In short, the Falcons will have a lot of success if they continue to take care of the ball that well down the road.

BiG THOUGHT: Detroit is a good team -- Ray McCallum is an NBA-caliber talent, and the Titans were picked to finish second in the Horizon League after earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament last season. Yes, the game was played at the Stroh Center, and that helped. But even the Falcons' detractors will have to admit that BG played very well against a very good team on Tuesday night ... and deserved to win. 

BiG QUESTION: Can the Falcons do it again? Bowling Green's next opponent, Youngstown State, is expected to do well in the Horizon League as well. It won't be easy, but BG's goal should be to repeat the solid shooting, limited turnovers, and solid defense late that helped combine to beat the Titans.

MORE INFO: Click here to read the game story from the contest. Click here to view the photo gallery from the contest.

A look at BG Olympic sports – Nov. 30

Here’s a look at BG Olympic sports entering the weekend, which includes the volleyball team’s first visit to the NCAA Tournament since 1991 …

GYMNASTICS: The Falcons will open their season with a dual match against Ohio State at Anderson Arena on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, starting at 4 p.m.

SWIMMING: The Falcons will send seven swimmers to the USA Swimming AT&T Winter Nationals held in Austin, Texas, starting Thursday, Nov. 29 through Saturday, Dec. 1. BG finished third among six teams at the TYR Invitational hosted by Northwestern on Nov. 16-18, winning six races. Junior Joelle Scheps won the 200 free in a time of 1:50.09, senior Alexis Kain finished first in the 100 breast (1:02.66), and senior Alexa Harris took top honors in the 200 back (1:58.99). Other winners were the 200 freestyle relay (1:33.70), the 400 medley relay (3:44.96) and the 200 medley relay (1:42.81).

TRACK: The Falcons will open the indoor season with the Bowling Green Opener on Monday, Jan. 14, 2013.

VOLLEYBALL: The Falcons will compete in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in a bracket hosted by Penn State starting Friday, Nov. 30. The Falcons face Ivy League champion Yale starting at 5 p.m. in Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. If BG wins its first-round match over the Bulldogs, the Falcons will face the winner of Friday’s second contest between Penn State and Binghamton Saturday, Dec. 1, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Your questions, my answers – Nov. 29

I'm going to paraphrase a number of e-mailers and tweeters who wrote something akin to this: Why did the BG men's team wear black uniforms in Tuesday's home game? Bowling Green's colors are burnt orange and seal brown.

Everyone: Please stop twisting your knickers in a bunch over this.

Yes, many of you have made it clear that you do NOT like the black uniforms (which are shown in the photo to the left). I don't remember many (actually, I don't remember ANY) fans saying they disliked the black uniforms because they were ugly. I think the universal sentiment is that people don't like the black uniforms because they aren't the school's colors.

To be snarky for a moment, let me ask this: Can I assume you don't like the white uniforms, either? After all, white isn't one of the school's colors.

OK, to be serious for a moment. First, I must admit two things: 1. I have little to no fashion sense. 2. I don't care to have any fashion sense, especially when it comes to uniforms.

So if you're asking me to judge the uniforms on their own merits, well ... I must admit that I don't particularly care one way or another. A uniform is a uniform, at least in most cases.

Second, I do believe uniforms are a matter of personal tastes. My son thinks the Oregon football uniforms are awesome ... I think they are garish. The only color uniform I dislike is gray (which is NO ONE's school color, unless it's the University of Phoenix -- get it? Phoenix? Ashes? Ah, nevermind) ... and I've had several people tell me they LIKE gray uniforms. Personal tastes.

Third, checking back to those Oregon uniforms: Remember when I said my son likes them and I do not? Well, my son is 14, and I'm ... a lot older. Trust me when I tell you that Oregon doesn't care one whit whether I like their uniforms -- because they are shooting for a young target audience, like my son.

I have checked with members of both the men's and women's team (who broke out black uniforms in their road win at Niagara), and both sides LIKE the black uniforms. A lot. And that's the point of those uniforms: To generate some excitement for a younger crowd.

Trust me, I'm trying REALLY hard not to call fans who don't like the black uniforms just because they are not two specific colors "old fogeys." But it's hard to avoid.

Yes, I've heard the "rumors" that this is the first step to changing BG's colors to exclude brown and include black. At this point, I'd be shocked if that was the case. If the university changes the athletics logo and replaces the brown with black, then you can scream bloody murder.

And yes, I've seen some of the apparel that is black. That's more a matter of the struggles to make brown clothing (for a variety of reasons) than it is a conscious decision to ignore the brown and "play up" the black.

In short, personally, this seems to be much ado about nothing. Remember when Jerry Seinfeld said we are rooting for laundry ...

 

In this instance, not only are we rooting for laundry: We are rooting for laundry of a particular color.

Of course, I'm sure you'll click on the link below and explain to me why I'm wrong. Actually, I hope you do ... because this makes no sense to me.

Thanks for writing, John.

Have a question you would like me to answer? Post it as a comment (click on the "comments" link below) or send me an e-mail to jwagner@theblade.com. I will edit for clarity, length and style, but I promise you will recognize your question when you read it. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Falcons have 10 players named All-MAC

Ten members of the Bowling Green football team were voted to the Mid-American Conference all-league team by the league's coaches, the MAC announced Wednesday.

Three members of the BG defense were named to the First Team: senior defensive tackle Chris Jones, sophomore linebacker Gabe Martin and junior defensive back BooBoo Gates. Two players -- senior offensive lineman Jordon Roussos and junior punter Brian Schmiedebusch -- were named to the Second Team, while the MAC's Third Team included junior offensive lineman Dominic Flewellyn,  senior linebacker Dwayne Woods, junior defensive tackle Ted Ouellet and junior defensive back Cam Truss.

BGSU's total of 10 All-MAC players tied Kent State for third-most in the league, trailing only Ball State (14) and Toledo (11).

The last time BGSU finished with at least 10 All-MAC players was 2004 and the last time the Falcons had at least six defensive players named All-MAC was 1992. The three first-team All-MAC defenders has not happened at BGSU since 1994.

Jones, who was named MAC defensive player of the year, ranks third in the country with 12.5 sacks and seventh in tackles for loss and added 41 tackles in 2012. Jones, who was named MAC East defensive player of the week three different times, anchored a BG defense that ranks seventh in the nation in total defense, allowing just 289.7 yards per game. They are seventh is pass defense (173.0), ninth in scoring (15.8) and 15th in rush defense (116.7).

Click here to read about Jones being named MAC defensive player of the year.

Martin started 11 games this season for the Falcons at rover, his first year as a starter. Martin led the team with 69 tackles and finished the year with 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception and five pass break-ups.

Gates started 11 games this season, all at safety, after spending his first two years at rover for BGSU. The junior finished the year with 44 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Last season Gates was named All-MAC second team as a kick returner.

This is the third straight year Woods has been honored, finishing as a first-team All-MAC winner in 2011 and earning second-team All-MAC in 2010. This season the senior posted 60 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and an interception. Woods earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week status following BGSU’s 24-0 win at UMass.

Ouellet, who did not even begin 2012 as a starter, recorded 30 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in earning All-MAC honors for the first time in his career. His best game came at Akron, finishing the contest with five tackles and a sack, helping BGSU turn a 10-0 halftime deficit into a 24-10 win.

Truss earned All-MAC status for the first time in his career, finishing the year with 59 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and four pass break-ups. Truss had 10 tackles at Akron and added six tackles and a forced fumble versus then No. 25 Kent State.

Bayer earned All-MAC status for the first time in his career, finishing the year with 34 receptions for 398 yards and three touchdowns, all single-season career-bests for the junior. Bayer had a five catch, 47 yard performance versus Rhode Island and then added five receptions for 94 yards and two touchdown in BGSU’s 24-10 win at Akron. Bayer was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week following his efforts versus the Zips.

Roussos and Flewellyn were honored for the first time in their careers and were also the first pair of Falcon offensive lineman to earn All-MAC status in the same year since 2005, where Kory Lichtensteiger and Derrick Markray earned second-team All-MAC. Roussos, who started all 12 games at right tackle, and Flewellyn, who started all 12 games at left guard, were part of an offensive line that helped BGSU run for 157.4 yards per game, the most at BGSU since 2006. The offensive line, as a unit, allowed just 13 sacks all season, 17th best in the country.

Schmiedebusch, who earned All-MAC first team honors last season, finished 2012 with a 41.8-yard punt average, had 18 punts of over 50 yards and downed another 22 punts inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. Schmiedebusch’s best game of the season came live on ESPN2 versus Ohio, finishing the game with a 50.5 punt average and recording five punts of over 50 yards, downing four inside the 20. The junior was named National Punter of the Week by the College Football Performance Award for his efforts versus the Bobcats.

BG's Jones named MAC defensive player of the year

Senior defensive tackle Chris Jones was named Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year, the league announced Wednesday.

The senior from Brownsburg, Ind., was a leader of a Bowling Green team that finished 8-4 overall, 6-2 in conference play. Jones helped the Falcons defense rank seventh among BCS schools in total defense and ninth nationally in scoring defense.

"This was a goal of mine since the end of last season," Jones admitted. "It was something that I was working for.

"To find out that all of the hard work -- and everything we have done as a defense -- really paid off was pretty cool."

Jones finished the regular season with 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss.

Jones led the MAC with 12.5 sacks and was tied for third in the nation in that category. His 19 tackles for loss ranked second in the conference and tied for seventh in the country.

The senior is just the fourth player in school history to be named MAC defensive player of the year, and the first to win the honor since Vince Palko won the honor in 1993-94. The other honorees were Phil Villapiano, who tied for the honor in 1971, and Joe Green in 1969.

Jones was also named All-MAC first team, marking the second straight season he received that honor and the third time he was on the all-league team after earning a spot on the third team as a sophomore.

"Looking at the progression of my career here, I feel I've improved every year," Jones said. "Coming in to this year I kept working hard, but I put in a little bit extra this year."

Jones said he didn't worry about facing double- and triple-teamed most of the season.

"If you look overall at our defense, we're pretty well balanced tackle-wise," Jones said. "That means everybody is doing his job and is in the right spot. And that shows with our defense being ranked the top defense in the conference. Everybody does their job.

"If I'm getting double-teamed, that means there's somebody who is unblocked. We saw that a lot this year. ... If the other linemen and I are taking on two blocks, the linebackers are playing downhill and fill the gaps."

While Jones was excited by the honor, he seemed to be as excited to learn that fellow defensive lineman Ted Ouellet received All-MAC third team honors.

"With some of the stuff Ted has gone through -- he was injured a lot last year, and he's been through some stuff this year -- he just fights through everything," Jones said. "He's one of those hard-nosed guys who keeps fighting. To see him get some recognition [for that] was awesome."

Sunday morning QB -- BG football victory over Buffalo

The Falcons finished the regular season on a strong note with a convincing 21-7 victory over Buffalo at Crew Stadium in Columbus Friday. The victory, BG’s seventh in the last eight games, improved its record to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons, who finished second in the MAC’s East Division, dominated on defense, and used a strong second quarter showing on offense to earn the win. Here’s a look back at the victory ...

OPENING THOUGHTS: I’ve heard from friends on both sides of the debate regarding moving the contest to Columbus and Crew Stadium. Personally, my feelings about the venue are similar to BG fans that live close to the Doyt: it’s easier for me to cover a game there, for a variety of reasons. Having said that, going to Crew Stadium –- a very nice facility, by the way –- once every two years to avoid the end-of-season “crowd” of 500 hardy souls at the Doyt wouldn’t bother me. Click here to read more thoughts-comments about playing at Crew Stadium.

TRICK QUESTIONS: Here is a simple one. 1. Which team came into Friday’s game leading the Mid-American Conference in sacks? Answer below.

OFFENSE: First, let’s give at least a nod to the wind and the fierce cold, two conditions that had to hinder both offenses. Having said that, the BG offense was similar to what it was during the six-game winning streak: strong at times, painful at times, and able to score enough points to make an impressive defensive effort stand up for a victory. … The total offense at halftime was good (207 yards), although it was skewed too much towards passing (196 yards) as the running game (11 yards on 18 carries) struggled. In the third quarter BG had 90 yards, mostly on the ground (58 yards), but in the fourth period the offense managed just 13 yards. … Great effort by John Pettigrew to gain 93 yards rushing and 124 yards of total offense on the day. In the third quarter he was the workhorse on the TD drive that gave the Falcons a comfortable lead. In the first half QB Matt Schilz generally threw the ball well, completing 14-of-21 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown, although the second interception was a bit of a hiccup. In the second half he obviously struggled throwing the ball, though. … I really liked the 36:59 time of possession for the offense, which included more than eight minutes of possession in all four quarters. SPOILER ALERT: And I also liked the zero sacks against a team that came into the game leading the MAC in that category. But the struggles in the second half really made the contest closer than it had to be. Further, the offense struggled to “run out the game” as it had in previous victories, going three-and-out on its last six drives and gaining just nine yards on 18 plays. And while the three interceptions obviously was bad, I was more concerned at the huge struggles by the run game, which had EVERY player except Pettigrew finish with negative yardage.

DEFENSE: After struggling to stop Kent State –- or, more specifically, Dri Archer -- the Falcons returned to being the unit we were accustomed to seeing in past weeks. Pick just about any number, and it was a good one for the BG “D” … Buffalo finished with just 197 yards of total offense, including just 29 yards rushing. The Bulls were 2-for-15 on third-down plays and went 0-for-4 on fourth day. Buffalo had the ball for 14 drives on the day, and all but one of them gained 23 yards or less. And UB’s lone touchdown came when an interception/return gave the Bulls the ball on BG’s 19-yard line. In short, it was an impressive effort by the defense. … A few more words about how dominant the Falcons were: Buffalo ran 60 plays in the game, and 34 of them (56.7 percent) resulted in no gain, negative yardage or an incomplete pass. That’s just a staggering number, friends. And yes, Bowling Green did have seven sacks, but the Falcons stuffed nine running plays for no gain or negative yardage, too. So that rushing number was more than just sacks. Further, BG allowed Buffalo very few “explosive” plays, giving them just 10 plays that covered 10 yards or more –- six of those plays were passes that came in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons were playing a “prevent” defense and giving up some passing yardage. Think about that for a moment: Of the 35 plays Buffalo ran in the first three quarters, only four resulted in 10 yards or more (11.4 percent). No wonder the Bulls had just 69 yards of total offense in the first three quarters. … And one negative thought: Yes, Bowling Green returns all but two seniors from its starting unit on defense. But don’t think for a moment the Falcons won’t miss DT Chris Jones and LB Dwayne Woods. Both were high-impact players for BG Friday.

SPECIAL TEAMS: I thought Friday was a surprisingly poor effort by BG’s special teams against the Buffalo, which also had struggled on special teams this season. Kickoff specialist Anthony Farinella returned from injury and averaged 54.5 yards per kick, which wasn’t bad considering the conditions (Buffalo averaged 45.5 yards per kick, for comparison’s sake). But UB averaged 22 yards on its four kickoff returns, so the “net” kicking yards average for the Falcons was 32.3 yards per kick. The Bulls average drive following a kickoff began on their 32, which needs to be better. … Punter Brian Schmiedebusch took a step backwards Friday. He had a punt blocked for the first time in his BG career, although the punt will not show up as a “block” because it still got forward yardage (statistically, it needs to end up with negative yardage to be a block). Even without that kick he averaged just 34.6 yards per kick, although he did land one inside Buffalo’s 20. Bowling Green’s net yardage per punt was 32.3 yards per boot. … Stephen Stein made his three PAT attempts, but Tyler Tate had his lone field-goal attempt blocked. He missed a 28-yard attempt on a “middle” block, which means the kick probably didn’t have enough lift off his foot (or there was too much penetration up the middle). Regardless, both are not good. … The kickoff return unit didn’t have much of an opportunity Friday, as there was one “squib” kick (that the Falcons recovered) and one touchback. … And the punt return unit obviously had a “fair catch” strategy on all of the Bulls’ kicks, and did execute that well. ASIDE: Kudos to Ryan Burbrink for catching six of UB’s nine punts without a drop. In those conditions, that’s hard to do. Buffalo averaged 36.1 yards per punt and landed three inside BG’s 20, so that side of the special teams goes to the Bulls as well.

ANSWER TO THE TRICK QUESTION: Buffalo came into the game leading the MAC with 34 sacks. That number didn’t move, however, which is a tribute to the Falcons’ offensive line as well as QB Matt Schilz. BG collected seven sacks and now leads the MAC with 37, one more than second-place Northern Illinois.

THE LAST WORD: “Close The Deal” is the Falcons’ motto this season, and BG did just that on Friday. The Falcons were able to put aside the frustrations of the loss the previous week and put together a strong effort, especially on defense, to claim their eighth victory. Buffalo is not a bad team … but BG had its way with the Bulls, especially on defense. As a result, Bowling Green improved its regular-season win total by three games for the second year in a row. If they could do that again next season … Ah, but that is NEXT season.

WANT MORE? Here you go … First, click here to read this Blade game story and click here to read the Blade notebook. Click here to read the in-game chat from the contest, and click here to read the BiG Look at the contest. Finally, click here to view a photo gallery from the contest.

BG's Pettigrew is MAC East offensive player of week

Senior running back John Pettigrew has been named Mid-American Conference East Division offensive player of the week, the league announced Monday.

Pettigrew, seeing action after an injury sidelined starter Anthon Samuel, ran for 93 yards and one touchdown on a career-high 29 carries in the Falcons' 21-7 over Buffalo at Crew Stadium Friday.

Pettigrew added three catches for 31 yards, finishing the game with 124 yards from scrimmage.

This is the seventh time this season the Falcons have been honored by the MAC. Pettigrew is the second BG player to win the award on offense, with Samuel earning the nod after the Ohio victory.

Bowling Green has had three players earn MAC East defensive player of the week honors a total of five teams. Senior Chris Jones has won the award three different times, while Ryland Ward claimed the honor after the win versus Akron and Dwayne Woods was honored after the UMass victory.

A few notes on bowl prospects & coaching searches

Now the waiting begins for the BGSU football team. As we wait for the Mid-American Conference Championship game (and other league title games) to play out, here are a few thoughts on bowl bids and coaching searches ...

BOWLS

Currently there are 70 teams that are considered "bowl eligible" at this point in the season, including the Falcons thanks to their 8-4 record. If you remember that there are 35 bowls, hence 70 teams needed, you get a gold star.

OK, there are still THREE teams with bowl aspirations alive. One is Georgia Tech, which is 6-6 (meaning it is bowl eligible) but must play in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Florida State. If the Yellow Jackets lose, they fall to 6-7 ... and the rule is that a 6-7 team gets a bowl bid ONLY if there aren't enough other teams to fill the bowls. That obviously is not the case.

The other two teams are Big East schools in 5-6 Connecticut and 5-6 Pittsburgh. The Huskies face a tough test in Cincinnati but play at home, while Pittsburgh has an easier contest against South Florida but play on the road.

As these teams win, all three have enough "power" to knock out one bowl-eligible team. Who comes off the list? An obvious candidate is 6-6 fellow MAC member Central Michigan, but from there things get murky.

NOTE: Please don't start any arguments about "Bowling Green is obviously a better team that Team X," because that's not what drives the bowl debate. Selling tickets in a particular city, bringing fans to that city to see the game, and bringing fans to the television to watch the telecast are what drive this decision. Unless it's clear BG is better than a team in those three categories, well, there are no guarantees.

I had several Twitter followers say they thought BG was a shoo-in because they thought those teams wouldn't qualify. Pitt just knocked off Rutgers, UConn just upset Louisville. I'd say it's possible both teams qualify.

Also, several Twitter followers said they thought BG was a shoo-in over teams from the Sun Belt such as 7-5 Western Kentucky. If the bowl opening is, say, the Music City Bowl in Nashville, wouldn't you think Western Kentucky -- which is roughly 70 miles away -- would bring more fans that BG, which is roughly 450 miles away?

Ah, the bowl openings. Glad you asked. A big part of the conversation is pinned to which bowl has an opening. In no particular order, here are a few options ...

• Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: This game is expected to have an opening because it takes the No. 6 team from the Big East, which only has four bowl-eligible teams. If Pitt and UConn become eligible, all bets are off. If a Big East team lands in the BCS bowl mix, BG's chances improve.

•  R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: This game is expected to have an opening because it takes the No. 6 team from Conference USA. It helps that there already will be one Sun Belt team in this game (which likely would preclude a second Sun Belt team as an opponent), but I'm starting to hear that Rice is the likely opponent for Louisiana-Lafayette.

• Military Bowl: This bowl is wide open, because Army is not bowl eligible, and the Atlantic Coast Conference has only five bowl-eligible teams at this point (and this bowl has the eighth choice in the ACC). I would be willing to guarantee at least one MAC team will play in this bowl ... but which one?

• Independence Bowl: This game is expected to have at least one opening because it takes the No. 7 team from the ACC. I would be willing to bet that one of the Louisiana schools from the Sun Belt (Louisiana-Monroe?) gets the nod here so there can be a "home" team in a game played in Shreveport, La. As for the opponent? If the Southeastern Conference can't deliver, perhaps the MAC can.

• Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: This game is expected to have at least one opening because it takes the sixth pick of ACC schools. I haven't seen much about the potential for this game going to a MAC school ... but if Vanderbilt gets this bid (basically a home game), why not?

• BBVA Compass Bowl: Here is yet another bowl where one opening is possible because it takes the Big East's fifth-best school. The win by Ole Miss over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl Saturday really is a kick in the teeth to a potential MAC school filling, because I originally expected there would be two potential openings for a MAC school to fill.

• AutoZone Liberty Bowl: This one could have an opening depending on how many SEC schools are invited to BCS bowls. I have seen this bowl linked to MAC schools as a possible opponent for a Conference USA school.

So I've listed seven potential bowl openings. How many of those will be filled by MAC schools? No more than half is my guess.

I spanned the Internet to find a few bowl predictions for BG, and here's what I got ... ESPN's Mark Schlabach predicted the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl against East Carolina, while ESPN's Brad Edwards said the Falcons will play in the Military Bowl against Western Kentucky. ... CollegeFootballNews.com said BG will play in the BBVA Compass Bowl against Ole Miss. ... CBSSports' Jerry Palm predicted the Falcons would play in the Music City Bowl against Vanderbilt. ... The Orlando Sentinel's Matt Murschel said Bowling Green would play in the Military Bowl against Western Kentucky. ... And AthlonSports.com said ... the Falcons will not play in a bowl. They also predict Georgia Tech WILL play in a bowl (don't see how that's possible) and that Ohio will get a bowl bid in front of BG. Click here to see for yourself.

Finally, one "Hot-N-Ready" rumor for you ... and remember, this is just a rumor. What would you think about the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl inviting Toledo to face Bowling Green in a rematch of that September contest? Since the bowl won't have a Big Ten school in it, the best choices come from the Sun Belt ... and obviously aren't very appealing choices to a Ford Field audience. So what would you think about inviting TWO Mid-American Conference schools, both of whom have fan bases within an hour of the bowl?

A few caveats: Normally bowls shy away from rematches. Normally bowls shy away from having two schools from the same conference, especially when it's a rematch. And the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl has its pick of MAC schools, so it could pick Northern Illinois and/or Kent State (two appealing choices ... but would they sell tickets in Detroit? Especially after having played in the same stadium roughly three weeks earlier).

Again, just a rumor.

UPDATE ON THURSDAY, NOV. 29: Sources have told CBSsports.com that the NCAA soon will announce that Georgia Tech will receive a "legislative relief waiver" that would allow them to become bowl-eligible in 2012.

Long story short: Georgia Tech currently is 6-6, which means the Yellow Jackets would be bowl-eligible at this point. But because Miami decided to make itself ineligible for the post-season, Georgia Tech now will play in the ACC title game against Florida State. If GT loses, a 6-7 record would make them ineligible ... except for this waiver, which said, simply put, that it's not the Yellow Jackets' fault they are about to become bowl-ineligible.

What does this mean? That would mean there are now 71 bowl-eligible teams, meaning at least one of them will not play in the bowl. The general consensus is that 6-6 Central Michigan will not get a bowl bid because of this.

But things now become tricky, especially if UConn and Pitt win games this week to become bowl-eligible. Those two teams would knock other teams out of the bowl picture ... including, possibly, Bowling Green.

Stay tuned.

COACHING SEARCHES

Now that the regular season has ended, the "silly season" of coaches being hired and fired begins. On Sunday four different coaches were fired: Colorado's Jon Embree, Purdue's Danny Hope, Boston College's Frank Spaziani and North Carolina State's Tom O'Brien.

That adds to the list of openings that also includes the head coaching position at Tennessee, Kentucky and Auburn ... with more probably to come.

I have seen a "list" of potential new coaches for the Purdue job that includes BG coach Dave Clawson, and I've got one thought: Slow down, big fella.

The Purdue opening is fresh. There are about 20-dozen names on the list. This is basically an effort where a writer throws as many names as possible up against the wall, hoping some will stick.

In short, let's allow the process to play out a little bit before we attach Clawson's name to it -- or, for that matter, the name of any hot MAC coaching property. And there are plenty of those, so don't be surprised to see names like Kent State's Darrell Hazell, Northern Illinois' Dave Doeren, Ball State's Pete Lembo or Toledo's Matt Campbell named as a potential hire for a number of different jobs.

My questions, your answers – Nov. 24

I'm going to paraphrase a number of e-mailers who wrote: Why did we move the final game of the season to Columbus? This is a terrible idea.

Everyone: OK, now we all have experienced a BG football game at Crew Stadium in Columbus. I'm going to explain some of the reasoning behind it (with the numbers to confirm the reasoning), but I ask one favor first.

Will you please tell me what YOU thought about it? More on that in a moment.

If you want to read what the folks from BGSU thought about the game, click here to read the story in Saturday's Blade.

First, the rationale for the game is obvious: Larger attendance. The crowd was announced at 11,846 and, while the actual number of butts in seats was probably half that, it clearly was an improvement over past "Black Friday" games.

Two years ago a 2-9 BG team hosted Western Michigan at the Doyt, and the crowd for that game was announced at 5,121 ... and was well short of that. Even when the Falcons hosted Toledo on Black Friday, the crowds were disappointing: It was announced as 14,075 in 2009 and 18,926 in 2007. For UT-BG? Black Friday obviously is an attendance black hole.

That, of course is not just a BG problem. On that same date in 2010, Akron hosted a throng of 5,216 at its new stadium; Eastern Michigan had 5,147 for a game against Northern Illinois; Kent State hosted 8,340 for a contest against Ohio; and Toledo announced a crowd of 12,121 for its game against Central Michigan.

So this game was moved to Columbus. It wasn't as convenient for BG fans, but student attendance would have been zero at the Doyt, so ... the decision was made to make the move.

BG coaches and players liked the venue. Crew Stadium is modern, well-kept, and the field was in good condition for late November. And while is was windy ... would that have been any different at the Doyt?

If you wish to judge whether BG will do this again in the future, the attendance obviously points to a "yes." But I would say that the key isn't attendance, but the game experience. Was it a fun atmosphere? Was it enjoyable? How did tailgating go?

And this is where YOU come in. Let's hear about the good and bad of the game experience. And it would be good to compare it to the Doyt, but please be smart: For example, please don't complain that Crew Stadium was too windy. Compared to the Doyt? C'mon.

Let's hear all the negatives and positives. I'm interested to read what others thought about the trip ... and I might share a few thoughts as well. But I'd like to hear from you first.

Please take a moment to let me know what you thought about this game -- both good and bad.

Thanks for writing, John.

Have a question you would like me to answer? Post it as a comment (click on the "comments" link below) or send me an e-mail to jwagner@theblade.com. I will edit for clarity, length and style, but I promise you will recognize your question when you read it. Looking forward to hearing from you!